Gay Travel Myanmar (Burma): Shimmering Inle Lake

Inle's famous oarsman use their muscular legs for rowing

Inle Lake is almost like a magical fairy tale filled with unusual things to see... floating farms, oarsmen rowing with their legs, jumping cats and pagodas that might have been designed by Dr. Seuss. You will also see colorful local markets and perhaps even a festival.

Golden barges emerge forspecial festivals

Inle Lake is a panorama of scenes from days gone by

Where We Shine:Purple Dragon has personally scouted out the best hotels and services for our guests. Your tour is private and you have the undivided attention of our guides, all of whom speak excellent English. Our guests often remark that the highlight of their holiday was the charming company of our trained guides and their friendly introduction to Myanmar life and culture.

An exotic mountain lake where life is on the water

Nestled at an elevation of 875 meters (about 3000 feet), between two parallel mountain ranges, giant fresh water Inle Lake offers the true taste and color of Old Burma. Here you will spend much of your time traveling by longboat from place to place, visiting huge intricately-carved teakwood temples and whole villages on waterlogged stilts. Few experiences in Myanmar could be more restful than gliding though the clear water as you enjoy the beauty of these far-flung Shan States. You do not have to be gay to enjoy visiting Inle Lake with Purple Dragon. A growing number of mainstream guests choose us because they know they will get something better from a gay company.

Day One

Your private car, driver and guide meet you at charming Heho Airport and drive you across a heavily forested mountain range and down into the Inle Valley. On the way, stop to take a peek at the Hot Springs near your hotel on the lake--you may wish to return later for a luxuriant soak with the locals (there is a private foreigners' pool, but it is not as much fun as chatting with the local Shan bathers). Arrive at your hotel in time to have a traditional massage in your room, given by a local villager. Dine at the hotel restaurant, famous for its excellent Burmese, Indian and French cuisine. If you'd like company, you may invite your guide to join you for dinner. Don't feel lazy and want to spend the afternoon sightseeing with your guide and a private boat? You can do that if we know in advance.

Day One

After breakfast your guide is waiting to escort you to your private longboat. If it's a market day, you will visit the lakeside market first, followed by a stop at Indein Pagoda, with its kilometer-long corridor of handicraft vendors and its 16th Century funeral stupas. Then a short ride to the Inn Thar Lay Restaurant for a taste of the local delicacies. After lunch, you are ferried across the narrow waterway to visit the most sacred structure on the lake, the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda with its famous five small Buddhas, the lake's guardians. Then you visit a floating weaving factory and glide through the extensive Floating Gardens to the aptly named Jumping Cat Monastery, where cats have been taught by the monks to jump through hoops. Return to the hotel via the Tha Le Oo Pagoda. Dinner at the hotel again (it is not possible to dine elsewhere as all hotels and restaurants are reached by water and the longboats stop running at dusk).

Day Three

If you are flying onward to Yangon, your airport return will leave in the morning.

Prices and Hotels

Prices depend on your choice of hotel and when you want to travel.

We offer several different hotels in Inle Lake, ranging from three to five stars. If you have a specific hotel in mind, please let us know. All of the hotels we use are carefully chosen for location, amenities, quality of service, security and value. We only use hotels that are gay-owned, gay-managed or gay-friendly. We inspect most hotels at least once a year.

To see prices and compare hotels please click on the "$" button on the left. If you have questions or suggestions about the hotels we use, please email us.

Includes private airport transportation, accommodation with tax, service, and daily breakfast beginning on day 2, full day tour with private boat and guide, Inle "Zone Fee." Not included: airfare, other local transportation, beverages, meals other than breakfast, massage, gratuities, features not specifically mentioned in the itinerary, or items of a purely personal nature.